Liquid-gage



w. s. TOWN'SENDQ LIQUID GAGE. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 31.. L9H.

Patented Sept. 21, 1920.

arbour-9A3 bar in dotted lines.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM TOWNSEND, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TOGUARANTEE VISIBLE MEASURE SALES COMPANY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OFCOLUMBIA, A CORPORATION.

LIQUID-GAGE.

such as gasolene, that has been poured into astorage tank or that iscontained within a storage tank.

The object of the invention is primarily to provide a gage to take theplace of the usual wooden measuring stick now commonly employed bydealers in gasolene to determine the amount delivered by the supplywagon to the underground tank. These wooden sticks are very unreliable,owing to the action of the gasolene which rapldly creeps up the stickand indicates a greater depth of liquid than has actually beendelivered.

A further object of the invention is to provide the liquid gage with anelongated handle so that it may be lowered from theground line down intothe buried tank; to provide means for guarding the indicating fingers orpointers against contact with the edges of the tank opening and soprevent their being bent or broken; to provide means for preventingunauthorized access to the pointers when they have once been adjusted;and to provide novel vent and inlet valves especially adapted for thegage.

These objects I accomplish by the construction shown inthe accompanyingdrawin in which:

igure 1 is a central vertical sectional view of the improved gage. Fig.2 is a front elevation. Fig.3 is a rear elevation with the sealing Fig.4 is a transverse section on line 414,

The glass tube A is contained within an inner tube B of metal or othersuitable material which is provided with a longitudinal slot 72, throughwhich the contents of the glass tube A may be viewed. The inner tube Bis surrounded by an outer metallic tube C, having a longitudinal slot 0in its front expansion spring f The valve stem 7 side registering withthe slot 6 and having a longitudinal slot 0' in its opposite or rearside for apurpose to be presently described.

The tubes B, C are spaced apart from end to end of the slots 6, c, c andwithin this space slide the curved index fingers or pointers D. Theseindexes or pointers D are in the form of broken rings or bandsencircling the inner tube'B, with their ends exposed through the slot 0,which-slot is somewhat wider than the slot 6. One end of every pointerhas a character (Z indicating gallons, for instance, while the other endis formed as a pointer d. These characters 03 increase upwardly from thelowermost index or pointer, as 10, 20, 30, &c. Therear of every index Dhas a squared lug (Z extending into the slot 0 before referred to andprovided with a threaded opening d into -which fits a binding screw d,the head of collar E, having at its upper end an internally threadedportion 6 screwed upon the exteriorly threaded lower end of the innertube B, while below this threaded portion 6 the collar is exteriorlythreaded at e for the internally threaded lower end of the outer tube 0,as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

The collar E is provided with an internal annular shoulder 6 on whichrests a cushioning washer a engaging the lower end of the glass tube A.

Within this collar E is screwed the valve carrying plug E, between whichand the lower sideof the shoulder e is placed a washer 6 The plug E hasa central stepped bore in which the stem 7 of valve F works; the valvehead f seating down wardly on the seat f formed in the upper face of theplug E. The valve is pressed down to the closed position by anencircling tends down below the lower end of the gage. so as to liftthe-valve when the gage is lowered into the tank with the valve stemresting on the bottom thereof.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patehted S t 21 192 Inlet openings 7are provided through and around the plug E and inlet openings 7' arealso provided around the valve stem to permit the. fluid to enter thegage glass when the valve is raised from its seat 7.

The lower end of the valve setm f hasan enlarged removable operatingtoot f which works in the lower enlarged portion of the bore in the plugE.

The space between the upper and the lower ends of the glass tube A andthe inner tube B is sealed with a cement G unaffected by gasolene, such,for instance, as litharge and glycerin.

Having described the lower inlet end of the gage, I will now describeits upper end, where H represents a collar somewhat similar to thecollar E and having, like it, an internally threaded porton II, whichscrews upon the upper externally threaded end of the inner tube 13, andthis collar H also has an internal annular shoulder it, between whichand the upper end of the glass tube A is placed a cushioning washer 71*.This collar H i'its removably in the upper end of the outer tube C, towhich it is secured y the screws l1". H is a valve car rying plugscrewed into the collar H at the upper side of shoulder /i. The lowerface of the plug H has a conical valve seat 11', from which a vent o)ening it leads directly through the plug 1 and collar H to the outerair. The vent valve it closes upwardly against its seat 72 by means of aspring 11 hearing against the upper face of the plug H and the lowerface of an abutment /1' on the upper end of the valve stem.

A handle socket K enters the upper end of the collar H, where it is heldto a limited sliding movement by a transverse pin or screw it", theouter headed end of which works in a short slot /1' in the collar H,while the inner end of the screw 71" extends under the abutment 7r sothat when the handle socket moves upwardly the vent \alve will bepositively lifted and held closed, but when the handle socket is presseddownwardly the screw or pin 1:" will move from under the abutment 11*and the upper end of the valve stem or the abutment will be engaged bythe lower portion 1* and the valve h opened. 7

The upper end of the plug H has on its upper side a reduced extensionit, which enters the lower end of the sleevelike extension Z of thehandle socket K.

An elongated handle I is secured in the socket K, so that the gage maybe lowered into tanks that are buried below the surface of the ground.The handle and socket may be removed from collar H by simply removingthe screw 71. The rear side of the collar H is provided with a lug L, having a transverse threaded opening 7, and the rear slde of the collar Eis provided with a lug L provided with a vertically disposed recess Z;these lugs being in vertical ahnement with the rear slot 0 of tube 1\..

scaling cover or bar 31 of channel form is adapted at its lower end toenter the socket or recess Z and has a transverse screw 1 at its upperend to enter the opening 7 of the lug L. It will be seen, therefore,that after the pointers D have been properly adjusted for the particulartank with which the gage is to be used and the sealing bar or cover Mapplied all of the screws will be incloscd and protected from beingtampered with.

The gage will be formed of suitable materials to withstand the action ofthe liquid with which it is to be used and will be made in sizes to suitthe tanks. The pointers D are "thoroughly protected from contacting withany exterior objects so that when once adjusted they cannot be knockedout of position, even though the gage be carelessly handled.

By removing the screw it" the handle I may be laid alongside the gagefor storage or shipment. The inlet and vent valves may be readilyremoved for cleaning and repair by simply unscrewing the plugs in whichthey are mounted.

Vhat I claim is:

1. A liquid gage of the, character de-. scribed, provided at its upperend with an upwardly closing vent valve, a handle socket, and meansoperatively connecting said socket and valve for raising and loweringthe valve as the socket is raised-and lowered.

2. A liquid gage comprising a glass gage tube, an outer longitudinallyslotted inclosing case, a tubular collar on the upper end of the saidcase, a plug removably mounted in the lower part of the sleeve, anupwardly closing vent valve in the plug, a handle socket mountedslidingly in the up per open end of said collar and adapted to act onthe upper end of the valve stem to depress the valve for the purposedescribed.

3. A liquid gage comprising a glass gage tube, an outer longitudinallyslotted inclosing casing, a tubular collar on the upper end of thecasing, a removable plug within the lower portion of the collar, anupwardly closing vent valve mounted in said plug with its stem extendingthereabove, a handle socket sliding in the upper end of said collar;said collar having a short slot adjacent to the lower end of the saidhandle socket, and a transverse pin extending through said short slotand lower end of handle socket into operative engagement with the upperend of the valve stem for raising the vent valve in the upward movementof the handle socket.

4. A liquid gage comprising a glass gage tube, an outer longitudinallyslotted casing, a tubular collar at the upper end of the casing,

a plug secured in the lower portion of said collar, having a reducedextension on its upper side, a central bore and a valve seat at thelower end of said bore, a vent valve seating upwardly against said seatand having a stem extendin up through said bore, a handle socket slidingin said collar with its lower end engaging theupper end of the valvestem to open the valve and provided with an annular depending portionencircling said reduced extension of ;the plug, and a transverse pin inlimited sliding engagement with the collar at its outer end and inoperative engagement at its inner end with said valve stem to lift thevalve when the handle socket is raised.

5. A liquid gage comprising a glass gage tube, an outer casing having avent at its upper end for said tube, a handle socket at the upper end ofthe casing, a tubular collar at the lower end of the casing and havingan internal shoulder for the lower end of the glass tube, a valve plugscrewed into the lower outer end of the said collar and having a centralbore and a valve seat .on its upper face around said bore, an upwardlyopening valve seated on said seat and having a depending stem extendingbelow the lower end of the said plug, and the plug having means foradmitting liquid to the glass tube when the valve is raised.

6. The combination with a gage glass having an outer protective casingprovided with front and rear longitudinal slots, pointers provided withadjusting means at the rear slot, and a removable sealing bar inclosingsaid adjusting means.

7. The combination with a gage glass provided with an outer protectivecasing formed of spacedconcentric tubes both longitudinally slotted atthe front to expose the glass tube, and the outer tube having alongitudinal slot at the rear, of pointers encircling the innerprotecting tube and extending around to the visual openings, and bindingscrews at the rear slot in the outer tube and engaging the rear sides ofthe pointers to bind them in their adjusted positions.

8. The combination with a gage glass provided with an outer protectivecasing formed of inner and outer spaced tubes both longitudinallyslotted to form a visual or sight opening, and the outer tube having arear longitudinal slot, of pointers encircling the inner protecting tubeand extending around to the visual openings; guide lugs being formed onthe rear of the pointers and extending into said rear slot, and bindingscrews engaging said lugs to hold the pointers in their adjustedpositions.

9. The combination with a gage glass provided with an outer protectivecasing formed of inner and outer spaced tubes both longi-' tudinallyslotted to form a visual or sight opening, and the outer tube having arear longitudinal slot, of pointers encircling the inner protecting tubeand extending around to the visual openings; guide lugs being formed onthe rear of the pointers and extending into said rear slot, bindingscrews engaging said lugs to hold the pointers in their adjustedpositions, and a removable sealing bar or cover extending over the saidscrews to prevent tampering therewith.

10. A liquid gage comprising a glass tube, inner and outer concentricprotecting tubes spaced apart and having sight openings at their frontsides; the outer tube having a longitudinal slot in its rear side,collars secured in the upper and lower ends of the outer tube, vent andinlet valves in the upper andv lower collars, respectively, a handlesocket operatively connected with the vent valve and the stem of theinlet valve depending below the lower collar, adjustable pointersencircling the inner protecting tube and extending to the front sightopenings, binding screws engaging the rear sides of the pointers at therear slot, the lower collar having a recessed lug and the upper collarhaving a lug and a sealing bar or cover to inclose said screws andadapted at its lower end to enter the recess in the lower lug, and meansfor securing the upper end of the sealing bar to the upper lug.

In testimony whereof I aflix my si nature.

WILLIAM S. TOWNS ND.

